Just A Dream
by marauderette-47
Summary: It seemed so real - it must have been real. Yes, he was running - he knew that Lily was in trouble."No," he whimpered, the tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "L-Lily..." James is a bit more worried about his first date with Lily than he realized. R&R!


**Just A Dream**

**By: marauderette-47**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

**A/N: Written for the 'Just A Dream' competition on the HPCF:) Hope you enjoy!**

**PS: I know that in the books, you can't get into the girls' dormitory if you're a boy because of a charm that turns the stairs into a slide - but can we just pretend that that particular charm is newer and did not exist in the Marauders' time for the purposes of this story? Thanks!:)**

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><p>It seemed so real - it must have been real. The smell of the woods was strong in his nose, and the cool wind stung his cheek like a wasp. He could feel every nerve in his body, and he was shaking so hard it was unreal. His hazel eyes darted left and right, looking for the sign of danger that he knew was coming from somewhere - he had to keep running. Wait - he was running? Yes, he was running - running further and faster than he ever had in his life. He didn't know how he knew, but he did - he knew that Lily was in trouble.<p>

Before he even saw her, James's eyes were filled with tears. She had only just agreed to go out with him yesterday - she had to be okay! She was too beautiful, too perfect to ever be hurt. She was too well liked to die. James knew that if he was too late, if Lily was gone, he would never be okay as long as he was alive.

James narrowly avoided hitting a tree as he made his way through the Forbidden Forest. The full moon hung in the air, bright and menacing - it seemed to be taunting James, making fun of the fact that it could hurt him this way. James swore he heard a growl coming from behind him, but he ignored it - it didn't matter what was after him, so long as Lily was safe.

Suddenly, James tripped over something hard, and it sent him hurling forward at a magnificent velocity. James groaned as sticks and stones pierced his skin, and he rubbed the dirt off of his pants as he stood up. He looked around to find the source of his downfall - no roots, no branches, no animals, no - NO!

As he looked down, James's eyes were met with a terrible sight. The girl was definitely Lily - her flaming red hair and sparkling green eyes were proof of that. But she was unrecognizable - her eyes were open, yet vacant and unseeing. Her face was deathly pale, whiter than a ghost. Blood dripped from her lips, and her entire body was covered in scratches, gashes, and bruises. There were bite marks decorating her once beautiful face, and James fell to his knees in front of her.

"No," he whimpered pathetically, the tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "L-Lily..."

He took his hand in his own, and almost dropped it at the touch. It was so cold! So, so cold...he had always imagined that Lily's hand would be warm and soft...and he brushed some of her hair out of her face...when she woke up - no! It didn't matter that her eyes were open! She _would _wake up! - he wanted her to be able to see him there, holding her hand. James laid down on the forest floor next to her, and put his head on her bruised and bloody shoulder. He closed his eyes, and wanted nothing more than to die on the spot. Life wasn't worth living without Lily. She was his everything.

"Lily," he sobbed, rocking her back and forth. "Lily, no, please don't do this to me - LILY! PLEASE! WAKE UP, PLEASE, WAKE UP LILY, DON'T GO!"

Another growl was heard, and James reluctantly opened his eyes, trying to see trough the tears. All that he could see before the blackness overtook him was a pair of great big yellow eyes, and a piercing howl filled the night as Moony attacked him as well.

James was jerked awake in an instant, shooting out of bed like a bullet out of a gun. Tear streaks from his eyes told James that he'd been emotional over the night, but that his emotions stemmed from nothing more than a dream. He was still shaking, and he couldn't get the image of Lily's body out of his head - Lily!

What if it _hadn't _been a dream - what if something had really happened to her? Not caring who he woke, James bolted from the boys' dormitory and ran as fast as he could to the girls' dormitory - to Lily. He opened the door as quietly and as gently as he could, hoping not to wake anyone. As soon as he saw her, James let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. There she was - her face and body unmarred by any kind of imperfection. She breathed in slowly, obviously asleep and dreaming more peaceful things than James had been. Seeing that his Flower was okay, James crept back into his own dorm, and into his own room.

Sirius was waiting for him there when he came back, giving him a speculating gaze. "Mate, you look terrible." he noted quietly.

"Thanks for the confidence boost, Padfoot," grumbled James, sliding back under the sheets of his bed. "Really."

"Want to tell me what happened?" asked Sirius after a moment, raising an eyebrow. James sighed.

"Not particularly," he said, trying to go back to sleep before Sirius could ask him anything else.

"Nervous about your first date with Evans?" guessed Sirius, trying for all he was worth to figure out what was wrong with his best mate. James seemed to realize Sirius's (for once) good intentions, and gave in.

"It was a nightmare," said James reluctantly, shuddering as he thought of Lily's cold hand. "That's all."

"What about?" asked Sirius softly.

"Lily," mumbled James. "During the full moon."

"No," said Sirius, shaking his head back and forth and going pale. "No, you don't mean it was-"

"It's alright Sirius," said James, with much more conviction than he felt. "It was just a dream."

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><p><strong>Short, yes, but we can see how much James loves Lily:) I figure he would have had some pretty shaky feelings before his first date with the amazing Lily Evans, so this is my take on his thoughts the night before:) And I just love Sirius too dang much <em>not <em>to add him! Okey dokey, that's that! Thanks for reading(:**

**Until next time, marauderette-47**

**_Mischief Managed_**


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